


Powerless

by silence_since_silence



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bad Weather, Cold Weather, Getting Together, M/M, Pie, Sharing Clothes, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-02-03 20:38:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12755757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silence_since_silence/pseuds/silence_since_silence
Summary: An unexpected visitor knocks on Merlin's door very late at night during bad weather.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Camelot_Drabble](http://camelot-drabble.livejournal.com).

The doorbell rings in a drawn-out but urgent cry.

Merlin wonders who could be outside his door in this weather.

He looks at the clock. It’s half past one in the morning.

Who would be outside his door at this _hour_?

The doorbell rings again in a short burst, and then whoever is out there knocks frantically.

Merlin puts his laptop down on the carpeted floor and gets up off the couch. Around his shoulders he wraps the blanket he has generously gotten out from under and walks in double-socked feet down the wooden stairs and across the cold tile entryway. He leans up against the door to look out the peep hole.

Someone with dark hair hanging in front of their face is looking down at their shoes, but Merlin can’t see who it is.

The person on the other side of Merlin’s door pulls their hand out from under their arm to knock again. When they look up at the door, Merlin sees who it is.

Merlin unlocks the door and pulls it open quickly.

“Gwaine! What are you doing out there? Get inside!” Merlin grabs Gwaine’s jacket sleeve and pulls him over the threshold. He shuts the door, but the air in the entryway is still frigid.

“Thanks a lot, Merlin. I thought I would freeze before I ever saw another person again,” Gwaine says.

“Let’s get your wet clothes off. I have a heated blanket with your name on it upstairs,” Merlin says.

“I don’t think I can do the clasps on anything. My fingers are frozen through,” Gwaine says.

“Give me your hands,” Merlin says as he reaches out his own. Gwaine offers his hands to Merlin. Merlin puts Gwaine’s hands palm to palm, then puts his own hands around Gwaine’s. His eyes glow gold, and heat from his hands slowly warms Gwaine’s hands.

“Tingly,” Gwaine says. He flexes his fingers. “I will never get over how cool it is that you can do magic.”

“I don’t _do_  magic, Gwaine. I _have_  magic,” Merlin says as he starts unbuttoning Gwaine’s too-light pea coat for him. “Having magic is more about the care of a living, incorporeal, and extremely influential being than it is about doing tricks because I decided they sounded like fun,” Merlin explains, not for the first time.

“I feel like you’re trying to tell me something right now about my life choices, but for the life of me I’m going to choose not to listen,” Gwaine counters. As he pulls his arms out of the coat and throws it over the stair railing, he adds a smile and a wink to ensure Merlin won’t keep lecturing on the responsibilities of having magic.

Merlin restrains himself from rolling his eyes, but only barely. Again, he asks, “So why were you outside just now?”

Gwaine crouches down to take off his boot. “I had a craving for the special at The Hawk’s Brow.” He pauses in tugging off his second boot to look up at Merlin with a very serious expression on his face. “It’s Tuesday, and that means Caelia’s cranberry pie. It’s _to die for_ , Merlin!”

“And you nearly did die for it! You couldn’t have waited until it wasn’t freezing outside anymore to get some pie?” Merlin asks.

“Damn unpredictable weather,” Gwaine gripes. “Can I borrow some sweats?”

“The weather channel and the radio have been warning about this snow storm since last week!” Merlin shouts.

“Ah, you know I don’t pay attention to that stuff,” Gwaine replies. He tugs at the legs of his wet jeans. “I prefer to make my own weather predictions! And this one was damn unpredictable.”

“It always snows this time of year!” Merlin exclaims. He then grabs both of Gwaine’s pant legs and pulls hard enough to get the wet parts off.

“Didn’t you promise me warmth upstairs? Why are we arguing on this cold tile?” Gwaine asks as he sits in his boxers on the cold tile floor of Merlin’s entryway.

Merlin’s eyes narrow in warning, but he leads the way up the stairs without further delay.


	2. Part 2

When they’re both on the couch wrapped in their respective blankets, Merlin realizes something.

“Gwaine?” he starts.

“Yeah?” Gwaine replies.

“The Hawk’s Brow is halfway across town,” Merlin says. “Gwen lives closest to it. Elyan and Morgana, even Arthur in the other direction, would have been closer. Why did you come here?”

“I thought you would be my best bet at the person who could keep me alive while I was freezing and hypothermic?” Gwaine says, only it sounds more like he’s asking if Merlin will believe this lie than it does like he’s telling the truth.

“Gwen’s a doctor,” Merlin says straight-faced.

“But you could revive me from the brink of death if you wanted to,” Gwaine pushes. “Aren’t you always saying magic is for great deeds?”

“Yes, and tonight I used it to warm up your hands. And you’re still not telling me why.”

Gwaine looks at Merlin. He sighs and looks away again. “Actually…”

Merlin stares intently at the side of Gwaine’s head.

Gwaine looks back up at Merlin for a second, then looks away again. “Actually, I was at The Hawk’s Head with Morgana…”

Merlin stiffens. “And she made you walk home?!” Merlin starts to excavate himself from his blanket. “I can’t _believe_  her! I’m going to call her right now and tell her what’s what!”

Gwaine leaps across the couch. He grabs Merlin’s arm and pulls him back down before he can walk away. “Merlin! Stop! It wasn’t like that!”

“Let go of me, Gwaine, if you know what’s good for you. I won’t allow her to treat people as disposable.” Merlin’s eyes are already glowing a light but threatening shade of gold.

Gwaine crawls the rest of the way across the couch and on top of Merlin to hold him down. “Listen to me!”

Merlin pushes Gwaine off him with a strength greater than what his muscles are capable of.

Gwaine lands with his back against the far armrest, right where he was sitting a minute earlier. He sees that Merlin is already halfway to his phone across the room, and shouts, “She dropped me off! I asked her to drop me off down the street, but she drove me all the way here from The Hawk’s Head!”

Quick as lightning, Merlin turns back to look at Gwaine. “Is my sister driving you around town in a snow storm for a reason? Be aware that this had better be the best reason on the planet if you want to keep all ten of your digits.”

Gwaine’s throat goes completely dry. “How about—” he croaks out. He clears his throat and tries again. “How about you stop threatening my person and come sit back down on the couch?”

“Gwaine, I swear to the triple goddess, if you do not tell me what is going on this instant—”

“Okay! Okay!” Gwaine says. “Morgana and the others have been trying to talk me into talking to you about this for months, and tonight I called her to see if she could help me. She seemed to think that I had reached some sort of point of courage simply because I initiated the conversation this time, so she wasted no time in taking full advantage of the situation. You know how she is.”

Merlin’s eyes are still fiery when he says, “You’re not making any sense. Say something real.”

“Ah,” Gwaine tries. “I,” he tries again. He pulls the heated blanket up to block his face from Merlin’s view. Under the blanket’s protection, and obviously bound to be too muffled to be understandable, he says, “I’m in love with you.”

There’s no reply.

Gwaine peeks an eye out from behind the blanket only to find Merlin staring down at him from inches away.

“What was that?” Merlin demands. His voice is low and dangerous.

Gwaine stares up at him, and even while Merlin is glaring – or perhaps especially because of the demanding glare – Gwaine is powerless to keep his feelings out of his eyes.

Merlin’s brow furrows, and his eyes soften as they change from angry to puzzled.

Gwaine realizes he isn’t breathing. He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. He says, “I am in love with you.”

Merlin doesn’t appear to have been expecting that, because his eyebrows climb. He slowly lowers himself to sit on the coffee table behind him. He doesn’t seem to judge the distance properly because he lands on it with a thunk. “You’re…”

Gwaine rearranges his limbs on the couch to sit facing Merlin. “I am.” He smiles slightly at the relief of having finally admitted it aloud. “Um. Are you at all interested in this conversation? We don’t have to talk about it.” Gwaine grips the blanket. “Actually, I’d rather not talk about—”

Merlin’s hand shoots out across the space between them to cover Gwaine’s mouth. “Don’t take it back.” He drops his hand to grab one of Gwaine’s. “Please, _please_  don’t take it back.”

They both hold onto each other’s hand harder than necessary.

Merlin’s eyes are watery. He lets out a breath of laughter, and then more.

Gwaine grips Merlin’s hand even harder and doesn’t let go.

Soon they’re both smiling at each other.

Gwaine’s smile suddenly drops off, though he keeps his grip on Merlin’s hand. “She knew. Dammit. She knew for months that this could happen. Dammit! We’ll have to kill her now.”

“I hope you’re joking. My _sister_ , Gwaine. Besides, it’s our own fault anyway.”

Gwaine nods his agreement. “But I’m taking credit for this entire thing. I _said_  it.”

“I’ll back you up on that.”

Merlin kisses him, and it lasts.


End file.
